Monday, April 2, 2012

Words with the duo Victor Masne and Pierre Leroux of Housse De Racket.

What was it like for you two meeting in the beginning?

Pierre: Actually, we met a long time ago when we were kids at a music school
We played in an orchestra, doing very classical music. At that time, when we were growing up all we wanted to do was play electronic music and to us classical was a bit boring.

Victor: Pierre wore a Pearl Jam t-shirt and I was really into Pearl Jam then. I recognized him and I went to chat. Years and years had passed and we began our 1st band. Now we’re playing in New York as the headlining act. The 1st time we were here with Yelle, as a supporting act. To us, as Parisians this is quite a big fantasy and to be here we are very proud

Is there something you treasure finding in New York, which you can’t get in France?

Victor: Momofuku cake truffles. My mission is to have those.

What bands either past or present do all you admire?

Pierre: Metronomy has gotten a great response and I think they really deserve it, but, I find it hard to listen to other bands when you’re on tour. There’s a French proverb that ‘It’s the people who make the shoes the have the crappiest shoes.’ Maybe it’s the same way for musicians.

Victor: Right now we’ve been heavy into The Cure. New York has so many amazing bands from Television, Blondie and even to now from LCD Soundsystem to The Rapture.

Didn’t you all collaborate with The Rapture?

Victor: Yeah, we shared the same producer Philippe Zdar. When The Rapture finished mixing their last record in Paris, we went there to start on our own record with Zdar. One morning at the studio and he said I missed something on this Rapture song and asked if we could play one of classic synthesizer parts.

Pierre: The Rapture realized we played on their record later on.

Your album Alesia is much like a soundtrack, are there any filmmakers you would die to collaborate with?

Victor: Indeed, we do love soundtracks and try to make our music as narrative as possible. Some of our songs are totally instrumental like Alesia, the title track from album. For the making of the album we watched a film each day to inspire each song. We really put a whole-hearted effort into the construction of that album.

Pierre: If we could make the soundtrack to the next roman Polanski movie, we would be really proud cause we’re huge fans of his work. Someday a film score is in order, but we’re just waiting for the right moment, the right project. It could definitely be a natural progression for us.

What Polanski films are your favorites?

Pierre: Rosemary’s Baby has a deep and beautiful meaning to it.

Victor: There’s a very claustrophobic feeling about the tenants, the flat and even the main character in that film.

Pierre: Bitter Moon is another favorite, which also inspired the album.

How does the cover reflect the feel of the album?

Victor: It’s like we created our very own mythology with a golden face goddess being a mix of Greek mythology and futuristic. Even in the songs there are multiple meanings, which is why it’s maybe a bit surrealistic.

Which are your favorite tracks off the album?

Victor: Maybe Alesia cause it’s the center of the album. We tried to build a certain symmetry in the track list, with Alesia as the climax. I do like the track Aquarium, as well.

Pierre: Sometimes my favorite varies on the mood I’m in but overall Roman is mine. It’s weird cause it isn’t until you’re playing gigs that you realize the songs you have created. We did a radio show and played that song for the 1st time in a long while and I was reminded how much I love that song.

What’s the meaning behind Roman?

Pierre: Funny cause it talks about Roman Polanski and another artist who was a painter, Roman Opalka. His goal was to count to infinity by drawing numbers in white on a black board. Each time on the board, he would place 10% more white on the black of the background. At the end he would be left with white on white. Coincidentally, he happen to die in 2011 when we were shooting the video.

How do you choose which songs go in English or in French?

Victor: We try not to decide it and let it happen naturally. For the 1st record it was all in French. Sometimes when the song comes in your head, English comes 1st and you try translating it to French and it sounds bad. English was very new to us then. Although, now we just let them flow.

Do you think any songs get lost in translation when converted to either language?

Pierre: I don’t think so cause the 1st language is music and maybe the words are secondary to us. Even if we sing in French I guess English people would feel something. The very 1st time we came to London we sang in French and the audience didn’t care they still went crazy. Words are secondary to sound.

Victor: Last year, when we opened for Yelle we were amazed that she only sings in French and surprisingly it works everywhere. People guess what she’s saying, but the energy and sound are there. It’s really special to us to see people try and sing our lyrics without really knowing what we’re saying, like sort of half singing and half humming along. In France the term for that is called ‘yogurt.’

Are the big differences between the French and American crowds?

Victor: There is more crowd participation here. At some point in our show, we always ask the crowd to pronounce our name cause we have the trickiest name ever, but they still do it. The French crowd is not so expressive and sometimes indifferent. The culture is all about drinking and after a few beers and red wine they get into it.

Monday, December 13, 2010

The Cloud Room Lit up the Indie Music Scene back in 2005 with their international smash hit "Hey Now Now" landing them an international Pepsi campaign and the awkward notoriety of being "one hit wonders". They have spent the last four years preparing and developing their latest record Zither to be anything BUT.

I managed to have a sit down with Lead singer J. Stuart to talk about it all:

BMB: Where are you from?

“I grew up in California, Devon is from southern Cali, Chris is from Illinois, John is from Massachusetts and Jason is from Mississippi. We all met here in New York, I guess New York City is the hip place to be.”

BMB: How long have you been in NYC?

“It ranges about 12 years, and Devon moved here just a couple of years ago.”

BMB: Since the first record came out in 2005 has it been the same guys?

“John and Jason came in 04 and this incarnation of the band started then. We got together and recorded somewhere in the Gowanus area of Brooklyn. We laid down Hey Now Now and Waterfalls. We did this

in Nov. 2004 and the record came out April 2005. It had an immediate reaction and we were well received.”

BMB: How often do you get compared to Bowie?

“Hahaha.. Umm.. yeah pretty often, of all the comparisons we mostly get him. Especially back then I was going crazy for Bowie. I was a latecomer to Bowie for some reason, and I never realized how ridiculous he was. And I like ridiculous. Our voices have some similarities, I don’t have a high nasally voice or anything but I think I was trying to sing like him a little bit... I brought it upon myself. But I couldn’t ever really copy him, he has a unique and incredible voice.”

BMB: Well… if you are going to sound like anyone, Bowie isn’t too shabby.

“What it came down to at that point is this 70’s is the thing I was going through. It was a combination of getting in to Bowie, loving Lou Reed, Mark Bolan, and Iggy Pop. Not that I’m as good as those guys but it’s kind of what I was swimming in, and I was learning to sing so I guess that’s how it came to be. I’m excited about the new record, and I feel that I sing a lot better on it.”

BMB: How did the success of Hey Now Now affect you and the band? And how did it influence the course of where the band was headed?

“That’s something I thought about a lot. I remember the Christmas I got Michael Jackson’s Dangerous and Nirvana’s Nevermind, Not to knock them, it’s just what everyone loved. Growing up the music that ended up moving me wasn’t Pop radio or Main stream stuff, The band that changed the course of my life was Sonic Youth. I have always grown more listening to creative and experimental music.

Singles were not a big part of my life. We never meant to write a hit single, but it just sort of appeared one day in practice. It sounded great and we sort of rushed to make the record and I think In the end it wasn’t the type of music we were moved to make… We have been called one hit wonders all over the place, That’s the label that fixed itself to us especially after Hey Now Now took off.”

BMB: How does that make you feel?

“Well… that’s an odd spot because I think we are pretty talented and with the new record we took four years to really work out songs and truly find the position that really turned us on. We tried a lot of things out and experimented... In the end I hope people can get out of this mindset of a band having one hit single and then they blow their load and are incapable of making a good album.”

BMB: What is a “Zither”?

“It’s basically an extinct early version of the guitar… If you think of the guitar of homosapien, the Zither would be the cro-magnon man. The words zither, sitar and guitar are all derived form the same word. It was popular in the 1800’s. There’s a few people that actually still make them. So I liked the idea of an extinct instrument that had it’s time and was forgotten for whatever reason.”

BMB: Who have you toured with?

“Hmmm.. We have toured with the National, I love those guys, all their shit sounds so good. And at least one song per album is a huge rad song. On their latest album I love Conversation 16. I really dig that song, they are really nice guys.”

“We have also toured with The Editors, they are a British band with an Interpol and Joy Division style. We toured with Muse here in the states and that was an experience.”

“Their live shows are Mind blowing. I have to give a shout out to this girl Elhaam. She is big in the music scene and she single handedly got us that tour with Muse. Our last show was in Atlanta, and we were backstage when our old keyboard player Steve picked up Matt Bellamy and ran around the backstage with him over his shoulder… You wouldn’t think it but they are very proper well mannered British gentlemen… Genuine good guys.”

BMB: Here in NYC where do you guys like to play?

“We haven’t been playing much here in NYC especially with the production of the record. I felt we needed to reestablish what we are and who we are in our sound before we head back out on stage. But if I had to pick one here in NY I love playing the Bowery Ballroom. It’s a perfect size, great crowd. I also like Mercury Lounge, I also love Union Hall in Brooklyn. It’s a small room but they have great bands and it’s a good vibe in there.”

BMB: What’s Next for the cloud room?

“What we are doing now is shopping the new record and looking for a label. We took our time on this record and now we're searching for a good home for it.”

BMB: What bands do you dig in the scene right now?

“Small Black just put out this EP and I got all fan crazy. I went totally gaga for them. I dig Animal collective, White Rabbits. I’m totally blanking right now… Oh, this girl named Julianna Barwick just put this new EP out. She layers her vocals in these really beautiful ghostly choruses. It’s hard to describe, it’s beyond your everyday music listening experience.”

After the formal interview we decided to go my usual Greenpoint pub for a beer. I brought Bananagrams with us figuring we could have a laugh while having a drink.

After a little beer and some small talk the conversation swung back in to music.

“Sometimes I’ll have this chorus and no verse or a verse by itself. I’ll keep working it and working it… Sometimes it takes months.”

BMB: So the song is like a block of wood that you shave down and shave down?

“Yeah… it’s like one block of wood that I try to carve and fit in to another block of would that might be a different color and shape. Some of the songs on the new album are old songs we couldn’t figure out.”

BMB: Do you record, and then go in there and mess around with them?

“Yes, I feel like Pro Tools is my instrument and contribution to the band… Sticks And Stones for example is a song that I wanted to have the feel of this great Deerhoof song that I like. We recorded it and when I was listening to it the file kept skipping on my mp3 player but it was making this amazing and unique drumbeat, so I showed it to Jason our drummer and he figured out how to play it, so we ended up using the new drumbeat… Sometimes we have the song right away, but a lot of it was crazy shenanigans like this.”

BMB: So it’s like drawing something and then erasing and then saying, WOW... I love the way this

Thursday, December 9, 2010

As I headed down 2nd Ave. to Lit Lounge in the lower east side I kept wondering why the hell I was going to a show past 10pm on a Tuesday night when I had a Photo Job the next morning at the crack of dawn.

It was late November and cold out and I was watching my breath the whole way. When I got to the club I saw Lead singer Peter Smith standing outside smoking a cigarette talking to 4 people at once. He’s the kind of guy you don’t usually see standing by himself. He spotted me and gave me a pound. “Great to see you! Bad news though… they pushed us back to 11:30.” he said. I smiled and nodded as I eyed up three gorgeous girls he was engrossed in conversation with. Then it hit me and I realized I wasn’t’ getting home until 2AM. Ugh…

I laid down my camera bag to take a breather.

You might ask… Why Tommy? Why are you doing a story on a band that isn’t relevant anymore. A band that is playing it’s last show.

And I would reply by saying… Because these guys play a fucking hell of a show! They rip their shirts off, they sweat and scream and dance. They swing on Drain pipes over the stage. They drink beers and smoke cigarettes and party during the set and they make everyone in the crowd feel like they are at a party. Not a shitty rock club watching just any other band. When they play shows they sweat and bleed! They play Rock N’ Roll and they ARE Rock N’ Roll… That’s why I decided to stay and witness the mayhem that is (was)Shooting Gallery.

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BMB: So… Peter Smith, where are you from?

“The streets of New York born and raised with a few stints out of state”

BMB: What’s the deal with Shooting Gallery?

“Well, this is the last year of Shooting Gallery. We had a really good run and we were together for about 3 years… It all starting off the same way it’s ending, just for fun… I love performing and writing music, and I’m someone that needs that creative outlet especially going to law school. I NEED IT.”

BMB: Law school?

“Yeah… I’m in New York law school.”

BMB: What’s up with the rocker going to do law?

“Well, you can do anything with law, that’s the reason why I do it. … It’s the kind of shit you should have learned in high school but didn’t… It’s also good for my future, but it’s’ certainly stifling creatively.”

BMB: Do you guys plan to record anything before it’s all over?

“Even though the band is breaking up we have six new songs that we love. I don’t know if we will get around to it. The new songs are a little less straight forward rock. They are more of mixed genres but that’s what makes them great as we all brought in songs to the table and now we have been comfortable jamming and the songs really developed organically.”

BMB: Where was Shooting Gallery’s favorite place to play?

“I think our favorite place is Webster hall studio, it’s one of the few places where they treat the musicians as the talent. They have a green room and the sound guys are great. The bartenders would bring us endless beer buckets and let us smoke in the back. I also Love Lit Lounge because it’s the way I imagine the cavern to be where the Beatles first started. It has that dark cellar feel to it with similar arches.”

BMB: How do you feel about the music scene here in NYC?

“I think Brooklyn has it going on! There are more house parties out there and that’s cool because people are there to party. It’s not like they have to feel obligated to show up and pay $10 to see you…

The coolest music town I have ever been to is Byron Bay, it’s a small town in Australia, It’s fucking paradise. They have 5 or 6 music venues and one of them is an old Caboose from a train… They have the Byron Bay music Festival every year and you can literally hear the music when you are surfing in the water.”

BMB: The scene, Are there any bands that you particularly love?

“I love The London Souls, they are a three piece, but they sound like twenty people on stage. They are gritty and riffing all over the place. It was so packed the first time I saw them I couldn’t even see the stage. When I finally made my way up to see them I was shocked to see only three people up there.”

“The Auctioneers are good friends of ours and I love Cavalier Rose. It’s an exciting time to be a musician and to witness the development of a healthy indie scene not a major label scene… The majors have lost out… When I worked at Columbia records there were so many bullshit departments and VP’s they handed them out like you could get it in a crackerjack box. They walked around wearing their cool duds and rings thinking they were the rock stars… The Indies are the future.”

BMB: What’s your next move? After tonight that is.

“I’ll start a new project with some of the same guys and add more personnel. Something punk but more like The Clash vain of Punk… Not Blink 182”

Sunday, November 28, 2010

When I first had the idea to begin this blog I was sitting at Spike hill at an open mic night sipping some beers. I picked up and began reading a dirty, wet disregarded copy of the latest Deli Magazine. It’s a free local mag that promotes the bands making waves in the hood, it’s also a good source for upcoming shows and new venues all around New York City.

This particular beer sopped issue was promoting the CMJ Festival. For those of you who don’t know what the CMJ festival is allow me to explain. “The College Music Journal” promotes itself and bands by organizing a week long music fest at a bunch of venues throughout Brooklyn and the city. The Musical acts have to be legitimate and talented performers. I slowly unpeeled stuck together pages and carefully read through the issue making notes as I went along.

When I got home that night I rifled through myspace and band websites. I googled and facebooked and hit the iTunes store. Some of the bands really peaked my interest and I realized that there is a ton of great music coming out of New York right now, and I needed to find out more!

Anni Rossi's Crushing limbsstopped me in my double clicking tracks. It had a fresh, poppy, funky, delicious sound and I couldn’t get enough. I had to hear it again and again and I knew I had to photograph her.

After arranging a time through the 24 year old’s manager I was lucky enough to get Anni Rossi in the studio and had the opportunity to photograph and interview her for the Brooklyn Music Blog.

BMB: Have you been playing a lot of shows lately?

“Oh Definitely, it’s been really busy!” Rossi said “The Music Hall in Williamsburg, Coco 66, Dead Herring in Williamsburg, The Cake Shop, The Living Room and Pianos are places I play the most.”

BMB: How many people are currently playing in the band?

“It fluctuates, but right now I have a trio. It is myself on my viola and two twin brothers. Devin and Ryan Maxwell. One on electric bass and the other on drums.”

“I have been touring since 2006 and I use the viola in a folky classical, pop sort of way. I turned it more in to a guitar. I use a guitar pick and strum it like a guitar, play simple cords and distort it like a guitar. So it’s got a definite unique sound to it.”

BMB: Well.. How did that Viola evolution occur?

“I Started on the violin… My mom thought she was signing me up for a music class for toddlers and when we got there it was an old lady’s house where she taught private lessons. I guess my mom decided to have me stick with it… I began on the piano at 6 and started writing music at 15. I have experimented and played with it ever since.”

BMB: And where did all of this start?

“I grew up in minnesota and went to Cal Arts in LA for school then ended up starting my music stuff out there… This was back in 2004-05.”

BMB: What was the music scene like out there back then?

“It was a fun time to be out there… A lot of all ages venues were popping up and there was a place downtown hidden in this alley called ‘THE SMELL’… It was a Dive but there was a great vibe and a lot of kids checking out the shows.

BMB: What was special about LA?

“There was just this unique hard edge to downtown LA that I liked that I don’t think they could ever get rid of.”

BMB: Whats on your iPod?

“Ha!” She sarcastically chuckled. “My purse got stolen at the Jane Hotel recently and my iPod was in there... That great Montel Jordan song came on and I had to get up and dance! That’s my jam! I danced for only about a minute and my purse was gone when I got back! On my way out I saw three other girls complaining to the bouncer about stolen purses as well.”

BMB: Ugh… well are there any other bands you respect and love right now?

“This Electronic duo, called Gatekeeper their whole aesthetic sounds is like a horror film from the 70s… It’s well crafted and really interesting.”

“My drummer and his wife have a great band as well called Lady Lucille. She has a femme fatal Nancy Sinatra sound that is kind of dark.”

“Another band called Girls In Trouble out of Bushwick. They play a lot of shows and are about to record an album.”

“But I still love the classics… I still listen to Black Sabbath and lately a lot of Biggie… ready to die is amazing!"

BMB: How do you feel about the Current New York music scene?

“I think it’s healthy… It has such diversity and it’s the first city I’ve been in that doesn’t have one cluster dominating and competing against itself… Here in New York there isn’t necessarily one style in charge, there isn’t one type of genre or band in control. There is so much going on all the time and endless variety. I think everyone gets a fair chance here... The whole scene is one scene, instead of several scenes fighting each other.”

BMB: How do you feel the scene is receiving you?

“I feel like… as long as you are active there is always support and interest. I consider it slow and steady. That’s been the course of my music pursuit but always active and NY is a great place to continue with it. People aren’t necessarily going to shoot your career up a mile a minute but it’s a place to grow. There are a lot of places to play and that is the best way for an artist to mature.”

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Anni is excited about how tight the band is sounding right now as a trio and is playing shows around New York every week. Check them out before they go on tour!

Friday, November 19, 2010

The rain was beating down in the city and large puddles had just begun forming on the corners of the streets. It was the kind of rain that just sort of snuck up on the city and caught everyone off guard. Running and ducking my way through the rain and dodging as many puddles as I could I burst in to the bar shaking my jacket of the stray drops of rain.

I sat down and ordered a beer as I waited for my interview with Julia Haltigan. The bar smelled of stale lager and old wood. The kind of smell one could expect in a lower east side bar, it felt oddly like a second home to me. Able to finally relax from the rain I noticed several couples sat around the place and it seemed pretty busy for a tuesday night. An elegant blend of style was represented here this evening, I thought to myself.

Drinking my beer and playing periodically checking my email on my iPhone I waited. From behind me I could make out the juvenile conversation two guys were having about sex that I tried to avoid but couldn’t help myself. The two young men looked like they were in their late 20’s but judging by the immaturity of the conversation I could tell they were probably fresh out of college. “I could do a shot right now” the bigger one said. “I could do two shots right now” said the other. “Fuck that. Right now, bro me and you. Three shots of Jamo EACH! We are gonna get shit cocked” He came up right along the side of me and ordered 6 shots of Jamison. The bartender gave him a look and reluctantly poured the shots. These guys were clearly not in the right bar to be acting like this I thought to myself. (Leslie the bartender kicked them out about 10 minutes later.)

Like a bat out of hell Julia came rushing in the front door clearly still not having put on the brakes after storming through the rain. I noticed her right away and when the bartender greeted her with a friendly “Hey Julia!” I figured I had my girl.

The first thing I noticed about Julia was that she is drop dead gorgeous. Her red lipstick and carefully penciled eyeliner gave her this classic 1950 ‘s L.A. look. With a tweak of the hair she could be a old school pin up girl. I found it hard looking her in the eye. At this point the bar was getting surprisingly full and loud, so we posted up close on a couple of bar stools and started talking. We discussed music, hobbies, stories and photography. As it turns out Julia and I shared a common background as photo assistants. She has been retired from the photo assisting rat race for a while now focusing exclusively on her music. “What do you do for fun?” I asked. She sat there and sort of cocked her head to the side and looked up and said. “I don’ really know, besides playing music?” I smiled. This girl is committed to her craft I thought. “I know, I ride motorcycles.” She blurted out excitedly. She went on to tell me she has a kick ass 1970 Bonneville that she rides around her native Manhattan. She is wise beyond her years and has an equally mature voice and sound. But this biker chick’s music is anything but biker chick music. It’s slick, fun and full of class. (no offense to biker chicks) “I haven’t recorded anything in studio in two years and I have lot of new material.” she explained. She has been working with a new band and the music has grown and morphed in to a full bodied well rounded sound.

Instead of describing her music (which I hate doing) I decided to shoot some video footage of the show so you can see for yourself! "if you want to talk about it" may be my favorite. Check it out! The songs at the show inspired, excited and moved me. I personally look forward to hearing her next record which begins recording in December.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

One might describe Kurt Feldman as being tall dark and handsome… others might describe him as being picky, moody and quiet. Others might even be so inclined as to call him amazing and a supremely talented musician. I would pretty much have to agree on all of the above.

You just got back from your latest tour, how was it? I asked. “It was a rough tour. I had to drive the entire way.” He said this with a tired and distraught expression on his face. “I got in to an accident, I got a speeding ticket, it was terrible!” It didn’t quite answer my question but I think his answer fit the mood of the day. The Depreciation Guild is at a point where they can book and play a full 5,000 capacity crowd one night and then play to a small handful of people in a small rock club five hours down the road and hear crickets the next night.

Kurt seems to be experiencing growing pains and learning to deal with the life of a professional touring musician. His touring schedule being in two well known acts has kept him on the road for the majority of the last three years. Kurt is a Greenpoint local, “I’ve been subletting my place out for the last three months.” He explained to me. “Now this guy just moved out and I have another guy coming in tomorrow.” The Constant traveling has put a strain on many aspects of his life. His family, his relationships and his music all suffer.

“I would be perfectly happy in the studio creating and recording as a professional studio musician.” he told me but due to the overwhelming success of “The Pains...” and “Depreciation Guild” he has decided to push through and play the music and be the rock star.

But does Kurt have the “Rock Star” personality? Kurt is quiet. You will never see him jumping around on stage, kicking over drum kits while chugging a bottle of Jack Daniels. You won’t catch him on tour with an eightball cut up on the coffee table in his hotel room. He’s not that kind of Rock Star, he’s the kind you wonder about. The artist that you never really know what will come from him next but you wait eagerly and patiently for the next jewel. He’s the kind of artist that you research and you listen to his lyrics. The Depreciation Guild has released two records. “In Her Gentle Jaws” and “Spirit Youth” the records flow through the mind with Synthesizer melodies and 8-Bit Nintendo instrumentation. It’s all worth a listen.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart leaves tomorrow for their month long tour starting in Vancouver and heading down the west coast past L.A. and in to Pomona. They will then fly out to Portugal, to begin their European leg for the tour hitting up Spain, France, Italy, Denmark, and the UK all before this time next month. It looks like this 80’s flavor Pop rock band is going to be really busy.

On a side note. Kurt has being working on a new solo project called “The Ice Choir” it’s still in production so it’s hush hush… but I’ll be sure to post about it when I gets closer.